Customer Reviews

Texas Instruments TI36X Solar Scientific Calculator

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I'm a research scientist. I started using a slide rule in high school about 1947, a computer in 1958, and scientific calculators some time in the early 1970s. Despite the power of computers I still like to have ready access to a good calculator, and my favorite brand (for versatility and ease of use) is Texas Instruments. The TI36X especially impresses me. It is a very powerful, very user-friendly scientific calculator for less than [price]. It performs virtually all scientific functions plus basic statistics and linear regressions and is light-powered in virtually any light. In my view, this is an incredible bargain. In fact, although I already have Texas Instruments calculators in my bedroom, den, living room, and at work, I couldn't resist the TI36X and bought one. It's a terrific calculator! If you don't need graphing capability, I highly recommend this powerful bargain calculator.

As one of the "official seven" calculators now allowed on the PE exam, this inexpensive calculator was all I needed (civil exam, anyway). As a former die-hard HP fan, it took some retraining to "un-RPN" my fingers, but lots of practice problems using the calculator that I would be using on the test and I was OK. The display is clear and readable, the solar panel powers the calculator with just the light from a computer monitor. Bottom line: a good calculator and a great value.

In terms of price and features, this is a nice scientific calculator. The layout of the functions is quite apt. I like the case design and the cover. It has only a one-line display but I can live with that. The purple text used to label the functions activated by the "3rd" key is admittedly a little hard to read.

However, consider this calculation and its result:

(262144 * 4096) - (2^18 * 2^12) = -0.01

The correct answer, obviously, is 0. That may be a silly calculation to perform, but I actually did this once as a check.

TI's support - via email - suggests that this is a normal rounding error. I am not sure that this is acceptable in a calculator of this class. The size of the operands doesn't seem unreasonably large.

If it were not for that, I would give the calculator 4 stars. It's really too bad because I like the layout of this calculator MUCH better than that of the Casio. But I worry about getting other errors that won't be immediately obvious to me.

I can't prove one or the other how likely this rounding error is to happen in "typical" calculations.

Ok I'm a high school student and got this calculator last year for honors chem, my other scientific calculator (TI-30X) just wasn't sufficient. But this one is great! If you're in chemistry, it has easy-to-use conversions (from pounds-kilos, gallons-liters etc.), and for chem and other sciences like bio, and physics it has constants such as Avogadro's number and Planck's constant, which make solving problems easier. Plus, for math, it's the easiest scientific caluclator I have encountered, and has many features. The only drawbacks I can see are that it does not have a two-line display and you cannot go back and see previous operations and the snap-on cover is a bit awkward at first. However, the screen is easy to get used to, and once you do, the calculator is perfect. For students, this has all the features which you need up through Alg 2 and trig (and probably further) and is simple to use. Plus, you can use it on the PSAT, SAT, SAT II's, ACT, AP exams! Though other users may be right that you can find cheaper calculators with more features from brands other than TI, I would say that for those in elementary, middle, or high school, its easiest to stick with TI, that's what everyone else, including the teacher uses, and that's what the teachers in my classes have always taught us how to use new features using TI. By far I would say its the best scientific calculator with the most useful features that I have encountered, and your best bet if you are still a student.

I have used the TI-36X, which I bought several years ago after I lost the similar TI-35X. This calculator is excellent for everything from Pre-Algebra to Pre-Calculus. I have a feeling that it won't be as adequate for college-level calculus, but the graphing calculator I use (TI-82) is less intuitive and more cumbersome. For $25, the TI-36X should be good for five years of math through trig and statistics. It's the standard too. Most teachers are familiar with its layout, as opposed to the more obscure Casios.

As somebody involved in the physical sciences, I find these little guys really handy. I try to keep one around at all times. Usually I end up leaving them behind and having to buy another one every 6 to 12 months. I've been buying TI calculators like this for most of the last decade. Now I've bought one for my son (algebra in middle school) and wife (algebra in college).

If you need something more complicated than this, learn RPN and get an HP, get one of those graphing goodies, or use a computer. But if you just need basic math functionality, without having to write complex formulae, this one is a honey. It may not immediately spit out 68!, but that's not a problem I typically encounter.

The photo-voltaic is sensitive enough to be useful--I don't miss the days of having to keep a spare set of batteries around. I've never been able to wear one of these out, so I cannot comment on the long-term viability of the keyboard or display, but at this price, I can afford to buy the latest upgrade each year & not worry too much.

(If you'd like to comment about this review, click on the "about me" link above & drop me an email. Thanks!)

I am currently a grad student in mathematics, and I am still using TI36X. In fact I have been using it since I was a high school student. While I was in high school, I tried almost all (in $20's range) calculators from TI, Sharp, and Canon, and Casio. I ended up with a TI36X. I have been a fan ever since. I studied electrical engineering while in college, and between HP's 48GX and this calculator, you won't need anything else. I used the TI for almost all calculations except for a few that required complex numbers and graphics (which I used HP for).

Easy to use, neatly placed buttons, able to do fractions, built-in constants, common conversions between units, % calculations, just to name a few of my favorite functions. You can't go wrong with this calculator.

This is a great gift for any students in high school and up.

The TI-36X isn't fancy, but it works. It's very similar to the simple calculators I used in high school during the 1980s (Sharp EL-506S). Alas, it has some significant design flaws; I can't honestly recommend it as you can find much better calculators for less money.

I still have my EL-506S somewhere. After almost 25 years I've had to change the batteries once. It has a hard on/off switch so it's not draining power when it's turned off, unlike most modern calculators. (And my TI-68 uses a lithium battery which I've never changed.) But I digress...

The 36X pictured above isn't the current version. The new one has a flimsy snap-on hardshell which is a pain to remove, and I feel pretty sure the tabs holding it on aren't going to last very long. And the shape isn't exactly what I'd call ergonomic. (It's an interesting design, just not all that functional.)

I'm surprised they made the solar cell array so small. The calculator uses very little power, even a 20% increase in size would've allowed it to work reliably in room lighting at night. As it is you'll have to use it directly under a lamp, and I can certainly recall a few college classrooms where it probably wouldn't have worked at all.

But its real downfall is its lack of functionality. It's fine for simple calcuations, but after having used RPN calculators, and algebraic calculators which allow entering an entire equation before evaluation, it's a huge step backwards. There's a reason I don't use my EL-506S much anymore.

Compared to the TI-68 (discontinued algebraic calculator, possibly the last decent non-graphing calculator made by TI) the 36X seems like a ridiculous toy. The Casio FX-260 has quite similar functionality to the 36X and is less than 1/2 the price; for 20% less than the 36X the Sharp EL-506WBBK does everything the TI-68 did and more; at the same price the Casio FX-115ES does much more.

I ended up getting the ti36 because I dropped my ti35 one too many times (twenty or so good 5' drops on a hard floor) and it went bonkers. This is just as useful, plus it has some unit conversions for you. This could come in handy for Chemistry or Physics students. I also appreciate the fraction math you can do with it (you can do this on the ti35 too i think).I am in our high school's calculus class, and I get along fine with it. I think its important to really learn the basic concepts in high school, so I'm not sure anything bigger is necessary. The only time I really feel like I need more than this is when I would like to graph functions to check my answers. It never hurts to do some good old fashion paper & pencil math, though.

I remember the day when I found out about this calculator. I was so elated that I bought it for a puny $... I used this calculator every time I did mathematical calculations. This calculator is probably the best of its kind... But all I have to say is that its need improvement.

The power in this calculator is solar powered in which is not all that great to do something in a hurry. It takes about 10 seconds or 20 seconds for the power to kick into the calculator. The calculator should be improvised with a dual powered battery and solar so its enviromentally good and don't take 10 years for it to come on.

The calculator is a one line calculator. The fact that if you do advanced calculations, and you type one wrong key, you start back from square one. If the calculator was double lined in wihich you can delete extra signs, unwanted stuff then it would be much better.

The last but not least, about most of the functions in the TI36x cannot be done if you do not HAVE YOUR MANUAL or card on the side. Even if you have it, its confusing. I remember when I tried to do combinations or permutations i need to press the number, then the x to y button, the number, the 2nd or 3rd function nPr or nCr. In a sharp calculator, you just type a number, press the function, press the other number, then press equal and whal la! ALSO THE APLHANUMERIC FUNCTIONS DO NOT WORK..... You cannot do algebraic calculations in the calculator or type the equation in the calculator then replace x with your number and solve the equation. Sharp calculators can do this function.

This calculator is probably not worth the $... in Staples or some store, or even $... on ebay now if you think about it. I would rather recommend you buy the Sharp Scientific Calculators. Much easier to operate, and with more functions to. :)